MissingpurposeJuly04

"Missing Life's Purpose"

by Rev. Mike Evans

Judges 13:5,24,25

5- For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

24- And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.

25- And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

No one has had better opportunity to be used of God than Samson. He was a man chosen by God from his birth; he was a gift from God to be a man of God. It was the pleasure of God to give Samson a clear purpose in life, for by His word everyone knew that, "he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." (Judges 13:5b) We understand that the Holy Spirit was on him in a special way.

He had the best start that a person could have, but his life purpose was never accomplished. Many people, like Samson, fail to reach their full potential in their walk with God as well, and friend this should not happen to you. We can look at the mistakes of Samson and chart a different course that will lead us to the fullness of our possibilities in Christ.

The first mistake Samson made was to fail to address his character flaws. Early in life Sampson struggled with sexual impurity, and he did not allow the strength of the Holy Spirit to restrain his drives. This eventually led to a desire for that which was forbidden by the law of God, a Philistine wife. Judges 24:3 says, "Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well."

We can see that at this point Samson's physical desires are greater than his ability to follow the laws of God. His concerns are not for the things of God, but for his own fleshly desires. Later he sleeps with prostitutes, and his destruction comes through a relationship with Delilah.

We are in a constant state of either spiritual growth or decline; sin causes decline and the Spirit of God brings about growth. The Bible tells us this in 2 Corinthians 3:17&18 - "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18- But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. "Search your heart, find the area that Jesus would like to bring liberty to, and begin to allow His Holy Spirit to form your character.

Samson also counted on deception to safe guard himself. He was fond of riddles to trick people, and he lied to Delilah 3 times about the secret of his strength. Some might argue that had he not lied to Delilah his secret would have been found out sooner, but no situation warrants the use of tactics that are devises of the devil, and deception is just that. When people sin they often try to use deception to hide their sin, and once this pattern is begun it easily becomes a habit in one's life. Proverbs 12:17 tells us, "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit." Only a life of truth and honesty will produce freedom and the blessings of God. Whenever a person begins to twist the truth, it is a sure sign that they are in trouble.

Next we see that he misused his God given gifts. The gifts given to us by God are to be used for the purposes of God and not for our own ends. Samson took both his strength and godly anointing for granted. It was after his wife had been given to another man in marriage he used his strength for revenge. The purpose of the God given gift of strength was to begin to deliver his people, not for retaliation for wrongs done to him. We can see this again at the end of his life when once again he looks to God. His hands are placed on the pillars of the temple Dagon and Samson prays, "And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. (Judges 16:28) Notice what motivation is given; vengeance for his eyes. There is no mention of desire to deliver his people, or fulfill God's plan for his life. God gives gifts for His purposes, when we misuse them or don't use them for God there are always unwanted consequences. The result here is that of missing his life's purpose.

Finally we see that Samson was overcome by his area of weakness. His desire for physical pleasure finally defeats him; when he met Delilah he had met his match. Those who give free reign to sin in their lives are eventually overcome by them. Sin will lull you to sleep on it's lap and give you a false since of peace while it separates you from the presence of God. This is what happened to Samson for the Spirit of God departed from him and he thought he was still more powerful than his enemies. People believe that their private imperfections won't have public consequences, but they always do. Sampson lost his vision, and became a wheat grinder in the prison. Tied to a millstone his life began to go in never changing circles, accomplishing nothing of value. He is now nothing more than an object of ridicule, sport for those who trapped him. You can't win if you play with sin.

All of these are signs of trouble. Ask yourself, "Are there any of these in my life today?"

Friend if there are, don't allow them to continue to grow in your life. Come to Jesus, and let His Holy Spirit perform His work in you. Don't miss the purpose of God for your life. Keep your vision and be used for God.

Some lawyers can win,

Some doctors can heal,

Your ol' banker can lend

until your pockets are filled.

But if yours is the case

Of a sin stricken Soul,

For all the problems you face

There's only one place to go.

So climb up that mountain

Where still springs the fountain,

a sparkling crimson

called Calvary's flow.

That same Jesus you've heard of

can take a black heart without love,

wash it in red blood

and make it whiter than snow.

Now don't you gamble on life

with all your luck and your skill.

You can't play the cards

that death's gonna deal.

You see the Bible has planned

who the loser's gonna be.

There's only two winning hands,

and they were nailed to a tree.